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SUDBURY, Ont. - Sudbury’s English public high school teachers will strike Monday after last-minute talks Saturday failed.

As a result, the Rainbow District School Board said all Grade 9 to 12 classes will be cancelled.

The strike affects about 5,000 secondary students in 10 schools in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island.

According to the board, negotiators for Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF – District 3) shut down talks.

“The board came to the table ready to negotiate and responded to all union proposals,” Rainbow chair Doreen Dewar said in a release. “The union chose not to respond and advised the board, through the mediator, that the parties were at an impasse, they did not see any possibility of progress or a settlement, and that there would be a strike as of Monday.”

Dewar said she was disappointed by OSSTF – District 3.

“We believe progress was possible and that our time would be better spent negotiating. The union, however, did not come back to the table to respond. They also advised that they would be cancelling the next day of bargaining, effectively shutting the door on any opportunity to move forward.”

“Our students and their families are caught in a dispute that is really between OSSTF and the province. We value our secondary teachers in the classroom and, in the best interest of students, we encourage OSSTF – District 3 to join us in resuming local negotiations as quickly as possible,” Dewar said.